Paging @John Brunner , or anyone else with a kitchen vacuum sealer. Our vintage FoodSaver vac system is on its last leg so I'm scouring the internet for a replacement. I missed a Costco deal on a nice system, dang it. Anyway, what brand do you have and do you recommend it? I see tons of them on Amazon. I don't particularly care about sealing containers or wet products; I use mine for when I buy meats for the freezer and that's about it.
Nothing brings out my inner novelist like this subject... I've never used anything but FoodSaver brand. I have a FoodSaver "Gamesaver" model. It's supposed to have a beefier vacuum pump for doing higher volumes (processing game) at one sitting. I use it a minimum of 6 times a day just from the canisters I keep my breakfast berries and my salad stuff in, PLUS all the freezer storage things I do. I've had it for years and the only thing that started to wear was where the tubing goes into the hoses on either end...it developed an air leak, so had a hard time completing the vacuum cycle (I was worried that the seals had gone.) I bought some silicone sealant and sealed around the tubing on both ends (I just did this a month or so ago. I used aquarium sealant because if it's fish-safe, it's food-safe.) Works like new. I'm like you...I let my food set up in the freezer before vacuuming it, so don't have the model that senses wet foods. That being said, it's nice to have a machine where you can pause the vacuum in mid-cycle and seal the bag (some foods are easily crushed or are fine with "just enough" vacuum.) You've likely seen that the vacuum bags are WAY cheaper from Amazon or Walmart merchants. Even FoodSaver's BOGO sales can't touch their regular prices. I've priced out making my own bags from rolls. There is no savings, but I do have rolls on hand for when I may need a custom size. I had a supply of vacuum Ziploc bags that are supposed to meet the need for taking what you need from a bag and resealing the rest, but they all leaked, so instead I use gallon sized vacuum bags to freeze bulk stuff (like french fries or veggies), then take out what I need and have room left to reseal the bag several times over. If you never use the accessory hose, you may ignore the following. FoodSaver changed the connector style for the accessory hose fitting because "some people" could not get the original press-fit one to stay in the machine (it's under vacuum, for goodness sake...how can it not stay put? Do these people fall uphill?) So FoodSaver changed to a "clip" style. The problem with the New Clip Fit is those tangs on the end are extremely fragile. They break under normal wear & tear...they're not rated for many cycles. I was going through 2-3 every month...it was costing me $10/month in hoses alone. Other users posted similar complaints (this assembly has 2.6 Stars on their website.) The machines that use these green clip connectors have matching green-colored ports so avoid those models: I keep the hose plugged in on mine (I never take the hose out of the machine) with an accessory adapter attached to the other end. When I want to seal a bag, I press the adapter down on the countertop to plug the air flow so the vacuum pulls through the bag. Or I put a business card over the end to plug the flow. Some of the newer machines have the accessory adapter on a permanently-affixed tube so you don't plug/unplug it...the machine automatically diverts the vacuum to where it's needed. That solution won't work for me because I have older canisters (Tilia®) that use the raw plug on the end of the hose. You also need the raw end if you use the canning jar adapter. Let us know what you choose and how you like it.
Thanks. Like I said, I just want it for meats and a few other freezer items. Years ago I had the containers and hoses, which I don't believe I ever used so I tossed them. I've been looking at reviews and I'm probably going to buy a Nesco Deluxe Vacuum Sealer which is the America's Test Kitchen pick and has good reviews. It seems to be on sale everywhere for $99 (reg. $135), but from Bed, Bath and Beyond there's a 20% coupon so I can get it for $79. I particularly like that it has a "double heat seal" option that puts two seals on a bag. My old FoodSaver vac often leaves a small leak in the bag seal so I manually seal most bags twice anyway. Seems that there are hundreds of chinese knock-off brands out there now; Amazon is awash in them and several have good reviews. Of course, the "major brands" are made in China, too.
We used to do sealing on a large scale when we were butchering moose and catching lots of salmon, but since there are only two of us now, things are scales down. We use a Food Saver now, although we used a cheaper one that we bought at Mills Food and Farm (or something like that) in the Midwest that worked just fine for several years. We also have a little cordless Food Saver thing that seals just bags and jars that we use for veggies and herbs. If you seal on a large scale, I would stick with a major brand or a big store brand like Cabela's, but if you just use it occasionally, I would think any well-rated one would serve.
Well, I ordered the Nesco so we'll see how it works. I've had a couple of FoodSavers over the years so I'll have a basis for comparison. Thanks, y'all.
Tilia/FoodSaver has gone through a number of iterations of designs, and now only carries 2 containers. I got all my legacy containers off of EBay, and it looks as though it's gonna be my source for everything from this point forward, even though their prices are no bargain. Amazon has just a couple of Food Saver brand containers at even more outrageous prices ($39 for one 5 cup canister???) I just looked at my records. I paid $6.49 for that exact same item 2 years ago when I bought 6 of them...they were half price closeout so I stocked up. I can get a used one on EBay right now...for $27 delivered!!! Unbelievable. I like the idea of a double seal on the bags, although the only real issues I've run into have been with things like the occasional lobster tail puncturing a bag. I cut protective liners out of cereal boxes on the rare occasion I seal & freeze such things (usually a New Year's sale.)
I like that the newer machines have a "seal only" feature, too. My old FoodSaver will only vacuum then seal.
This is the food sealer machine I started out with in the 70s: -Work during the day. -College at night. -Homework, cooking and sealing on the weekends. Those were the days before microwaves Radar Ranges.
You'll get good use out of that. No more cringing at the *crackle* of over-squished foods. As I was going through my receipts, I remembered I bought a backup machine 4 years ago on a half-price closeout from FoodSaver. I guess I'm covered.
My old FoodSaver is limping along so I won't toss it until I test out the new machine. It's better than nuthin'.
Good luck with that Von! Passing up on John's reviews will certainly strengthen your scrolling finger hahaha!
Now, don't tell me you like those reviews that say "I just ordered it and I've never used one and this is for my sister-in-law's birthday and it's not even shipped yet but I'm sure she'll love it so I'm giving it 5 Stars." And the worst part? "183 people found this helpful."
Yeh, well I got a scrolling finger for ya By the way: You can scroll down a web site one page at a time by hitting the Space Bar. Wanna scroll back up? Hold down the Shift key and then hit the Space Bar. This tip was brought to you by Brunner Enterprises. We may lack brevity but we're jacked with levity.